Tradition is important to the ARCA Menards Series, and there are few races more laden with tradition and connection to the sport’s roots than the two races on the one-mile dirt tracks at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Both of those races date back to before ARCA’s founding in 1953 and both have been a staple of the schedule since 1983.
For 2022, a new twist has been added with the Performance Seed Dirt Double which will offer a $50,000 prize to any driver who can drive to victory in both. Should that bonus go unclaimed, the driver with the best combined average finish at Springfield and DuQuoin will claim a $5,000 bonus.
“The two races at Springfield and DuQuoin are the direct connection to the foundation of the sport,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “There are thousands of race fans in the heartland of the country who attend those races, and many have been coming to them for decades. Having dirt races has kept us connected to the grassroots of the sport and it has meant a driver who can win the ARCA Menards Series championship has to succeed on a wide variety of racetracks.
“We’re always looking at adding another layer of excitement to our two traditional ARCA Menards Series dirt races, and the Performance Seed Dirt Double will do that,” said Bob Sargent, president of Track Enterprises, promoter of both events. “A $50,000 bonus to any driver who can win both of those races will give those drivers a pretty big carrot to chase after. And if that bonus goes unclaimed, the driver who performs the best in both races and has the best average finish will still come away with a $5,000 bonus. Either way, someone is going to carry away some bonus money.”
The ARCA Menards Series will visit the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield for the 40th time on Sunday, August 21, while the 42nd visit to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds is slated for Saturday night September 4.
Recent NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner Corey Heim scored the victory at Springfield in 2021, while 15-year-old rookie standout Landen Lewis won at DuQuoin in just his second series start.
Ticket information for both races is available at TrackEnterprises.com. For complete event information for all races across the ARCA Menards Series platform, including live timing & scoring, please visit ARCARacing.com.